Programme: Writing the Vision Prayer Meeting (Day 1)
Date: Monday, 12th February, 2024
Isaiah 28:9
“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.”
Knowledge is different from doctrine, but they are both knowings. Knowledge is precepts, therefore, it is taught. Lines are not easily taught, so people are made to understand them. When one is weaned from the milk, he can easily receive knowledge, but when such is not drawn from the breasts, he is attached to it (Isa. 28:9). There is an attachment to the breast. Breast is different from milk, though it gives milk. Breast is succor, the place where milk is found. Not everyone desires to leave the place of milk. It is possible for one to have stopped drinking milk but has not left the bosom. The bosom of milk is a constructed place that God needs to wean a soul from.
Some people no longer use milk but it is difficult to take them from the breast. It is difficult to teach such people lines — the pathway of precepts, or teach them way. When a circumstance is contrary to how a person may want things to go, such a person is being weaned from the breast; that is, the comfort zone that milk supplies. Milk is not the only thing supplied, there is a way to milk. When knowledge is being taught, a lot of souls need to endure the teaching because it is difficult.
To ‘doctor’ a thing means to condition one to a path. It is the molding of the essence of people who have learnt knowledge. It is the resting of a spirit of knowledge. Lines are spirits.
Isaiah 28:10-11
“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: [11] For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”
The stammering lips and another tongue is the attitude of tongues that is involved in helping one to hack into knowledge and lines.
Isaiah 28:12
“To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
This does not mean those who are speaking in tongues are speaking only to the Jews. It speaks concerning those who are qualified to hear knowledge. So before a man can learn both knowledge and doctrine, such a one must be quickened in his spirit and be a part of the family of God. Some people would not hear because God knows they would stumble.
1 Peter 2:7-8
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, [8] And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”
This scripture does not relate to unbelievers but brethren in the church. God knew that the design of the coming of the stone would cause some to stumble at the rock of offense because they would surely disobey it. These words would go into the crevices of men. However, one may wonder how the fangs of this world have dug deep into the souls of men such that they would hear these words but not take them.
Everyone who receives knowledge is a builder. The day a man gets weaned from milk and drawn from breasts, he is qualified to become a builder. Apart from the preacher who builds, the people who ought to respond are also part of the building process. The scripture does not admonish preachers to build themselves but everyone who ought to be obedient.
Jude 1:20
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…”
Everyone is worthy of building. Whenever God sees a man who is ready to be built, They would come to the person for him to be built. A man can reject the stone which is the Head of the Corner (1 Pet. 2:4; Psa. 118:22). Some may avoid the stone and not choose the rock but a lesser material to foster one’s edifice.
Psalm 127:1
“Except the LORD build the house, They labour in vain that build it: Except the LORD keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain.”
Many are building. Building is ongoing but there is a need to check the materials being used to build. The choice of material informs the building of one’s life. Those choices are based on one’s love and they would in turn cause one to purchase the materials that would be used for building. When Cain built a city, he built himself. The city was Cain. Enoch was a projection of Cain (Gen. 4:17). Jesus, the Son of God, was the Father who was inside of Him.
The Father and Satan like to work. Satan is also working. He has all his works. All the work of Satan is a building. We ought to hack into the thoughts of Satan to see the core of his project. Satan has an ambition with man. The core of his ambition is not for demons to kill people and afflict them with diseases, as they are only tools for his project. Satan likes to build, and he is aware that having many buildings would make it easy for them to become models.
Satan understands that what the Holy Ghost will fount out would ruin him. God will destroy Satan. According to Revelation 13, the project of worship is a commitment to building an image. When Cain left presence, he went to Nod to worship. Worship here means building. Cain was already of the evil one.
1 John 3:12
“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.”
It is not ordinary for someone to be wicked in presence as Cain was. Yet, God wanted to save him. Cain was the first gift of God to Adam; he was a man of the Lord God. Satan has vowed to take everyone as soon as they come into the earth. He has an ambition and will keep coming after us until we leave this world; even a preacher is not spared from his attack. Preachers are the most attractive to Satan; such are decked to be tempted by Satan. Preachers have charisma and that is why they must always use sackcloth to cover their charisma so that Satan does not see them to devour. Jesus also hid Himself when He was on earth. If transfiguration happens to some ministers, they will secretly love to have it all over the internet.
Builders are people who have the capacity to handle meat. There is no building without meat. Meat is for building.
1 Corinthians 3:11-12
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble…”
Some people will avoid gold, silver and precious stones, and rather take wood, hay and stubble. The last three are the opposite of gold, silver and precious stones. Hay is fire-friendly, same with wood. When the fire comes on some people, they will have nothing left because they came with nothing, falsely assuming they came with substances. They will be nowhere to be found.
Gold, silver and precious stones are the things used for building. We should thank God for appointing us to be builders. We can see that we have changed to some extent; we have been built. It is not easy to judge the level of our building sometimes. Someone may avoid obvious offenses but he is not built. True holiness is constructive, while “normal” holiness is just avoidance. There is no way we can put away iniquity far from our tabernacle without being built. We need to be built up.
Isaiah 28:11-12
“for with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
Rest and refreshing are two seasons. Rest builds us up until Christ is formed in us while refreshing is what escorts presence. Refreshing is what calls for presence.
Acts 3:19-20
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you…”
Jesus was before or firstly preached as rest.
Acts 3:21
“whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Refreshing is what comes from the presence of the Lord which announces the coming of Jesus Christ. God will send Jesus who has been sent to give rest; we rest when we come to peace with God. We keep tonguing and bringing forth utterance in that manner until we find rest and refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
Refreshing is making the ministry fresh or new again by the presence of the Lord. This is the season that Jesus Christ will be sent to us. There is no way one can ordinarily break open this scripture if God has not found a community of saints who have journeyed to this place of being brought into presence. These are scriptures of presence and transition. These are prophecies of the transition of the ministry of Christ and that of God.
Times of refreshing is from the presence of the Lord. God will “…send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you…” On this day in Acts 3, Christ had not been preached to the Jews. Apostle Peter was only unscrolling programs to those who were about to be saved; he was showing them what would happen to them in a period of 30-50 years. Peter was telling them their future in the Lord whom they want to turn to from Judaism; that the Lord will take them on a journey, and they will see Jesus again in another manner. Because they were carnal Jews, the promises of Abraham will be inherited by Him coming to them from the presence of God in a manner that the world will not see Him.
John 17:1-2
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
God the Father is a master; He is a ministry. He is the One who knows those flesh that are ready to take His life or that can receive Eternal Life.
John 17:5
“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
Jesus was asking for His glory that He should enter. Eternal Life is the next level of glory after everlasting life. The glory of everlasting life is that “incorruptible, undefiled and unfading—it is glory life that speaks in this manner. The glory of a life is the feat of that life, what the life can get done or what the life is. This is not talking of mundane things. Everlasting life is not about being rich. One can have everlasting life and not have physical riches. Jesus had everlasting life and was hung on the cross. Jesus had full everlasting life, that is, He was the Lamb of God. When He was on earth, He was everlasting life but not yet fully done to take away sins. It was when He was fully done that He could take away the sins of the whole world.
John 1:29
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
God made His lamb an offering for sin; He made Jesus’ soul an offering. That soul was the Lamb by God giving His soul enough life to be a lamb. Our Lord Jesus became so undefiled that sin could not contaminate Him; sin was only laid on Him. It is only God who can do that—make Him sin who had no sin. Jesus’ soul could not pass away. God gave everlasting life to sin and it was enough to deal with sin. Everlasting life is higher than creation.
Sin is an everlasting life in an angel. Sin is not anything that came from another place; it is the ‘lamb’ in angels that was turned. This is why we now need the Lamb of God. It is not easy to make a lamb because there are things involved. To come into being lambish, one needs hidden wisdom which none of the princes of this world knew. Wisdom is what makes princes.
1 Corinthians 2:6
“Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought…”
The perfect are Christs; they are sheep that are about to be converted to become lambs of God. God wants Jesus to create lambs for Him. It will take wisdom to be hidden. To be hidden is to be a lamb. To hide a sheep is to reconstruct it into a lamb, that is, make the sheep smaller. A lamb is actually mighty though it looks small because it is hidden.
The Father is a Lamb. It is about the life code and not the physique. God is using those animals to teach us about Himself. There is nothing lambish in the physique of a man but John the Baptist saw Jesus as the lamb of God. Something was in John to be able to see Jesus as such (John 1:29). These are some of the things Adam was speaking in Eden— these are what earth speaks. Earth can behold a lamb, and can see another lamb: this is because earth is a lamb.
There is a sacrificial work of breaking sin. Jesus had to offer Himself for sin. He did this to deal with the root of sin. It is a legal part of the sacrifice, that is, it gives Him the right to remove sins from people. It is only a lamb that can go to hell and uproot sin completely. This is because the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is planted on earth and its root takes life downward. Satan came through that tree and people go down to hell through the tree.
Tree is a genetic sprout; it is a family tree, that is,everyone is present there. It is a family tree, a tree that has fed upon the families of the earth. Satan engrafted men into his own tree, and that tree must be destroyed. The cross is the legal sacrifice for sin; it was the first way to gain the right to take sin away. Jesus joined the family of death by dying on a tree. Satan did not know that he was engrafting Jesus into his family thereby. Satan made a grievous mistake.
1 Corinthians 2:8
“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Satan lusted after Jesus until He was given to him. Satan killed Jesus both physically and spiritually. On the third day, Jesus became a lamb that can never be crucified. There is no way Jesus can come again to die; He came into a configuration that could never be killed. You can take amnos but not arnion. The lambkin cannot be taken, it is not meant for the cross. He is an offering of the throne. He offered up Himself to God through the eternal Spirit, once and for all. It is too powerful.
Jesus is complex. If one wants to know Jesus, one should be ready to be a student; one should be ready to go to school.
John 17:1-2
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.”
Jesus was hastening to His next apostolic work. He wasn't talking to God about glory exclusive to man.
The apostles were privileged to hear Jesus talk this way. John recorded His words. These words are too fixed together. No book can talk like this. God expects that when we hear words like this, our conscience should bear witness that these are words of God. No atheist or buddhist reads the Bible and doubts it. The way the Bible is constructed shows that it is true.
John 17:3
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
We must deal with every evil spirit that talks to us. It is the adversary who tells us that we have been wasting our time and have not been receiving this life. We should be glad that we have the lifetime opportunity to hear these words. If it happens that we don't get Eternal Life here on earth, we are still going to gain a state in heaven because of hearing these words and seeking it with a faithful heart.
Some faithful men sought this life and never had it; some had Christ. John the Baptist died not having the everlasting life of God. He was of the earth, meaning that He was of everlasting earthly realm. Speaking earthly things means preaching, living, and confessing earthly life on earth (John 3:31). Satan wired our minds to be loaded with mundane activities; they are designed so that we can put our trust in the arm of flesh. It is by seeing beyond these things that we overcome the dragon.
It is Jesus who has edged us in to keep teaching us. He wants to give us life (John 6:39).
John 17:3
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Asking for eternal glory is not asking to be taught about Eternal Life; He already had Eternal Life as knowledge. What remained was the glory, spirit or way. Jesus wanted Eternal Life as a way. Eternal life is a way. One can learn the spirit to get to a way. A way can be the end product. One can learn a way to get to a way. Jesus said He is a way to the Father and the Father is also a way. In other words, you need a way to get to the Father.
(John 17:5) Jesus was asking for the glory of what He had known with the Father before. Jesus wanted that glory.
Luke 24:25-26
“Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”
This glory is different from 1 Peter 1:11 which is for everlasting life or salvation, while this glory Jesus was asking is eternal glory. It was the Lamb who suffered these things for eternal glory. These things speak of the end of the Lamb. After He had finished the work on earth, He had to give Himself to be taken. Israel took Him and nailed Him to the cross. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane before the passion of his crucifixion. It began when the hour of darkness started its operation. He was beaten and hung on the cross. The disciples heard that He was risen from the dead and Jesus appeared to them and expounded the scriptures to them; and their heart burned. Jesus talked about His sufferings and the glory that He should enter into. His prayer in John 17 was for that glory He had with God before the world was.
John 17:3
”And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.“
We should imagine when Jesus would be sent. Here, it is Jesus who is sent for the purpose of giving men Eternal Life. Jesus won’t give Eternal Life to the world but to those who have been given to Him by the Father (John 17:2). The phrase “as many” tells us that some will be remaining among the flesh that will not receive Eternal Life. It is clear from the scripture that it is not all flesh that He has power over. He does not just descend on all flesh to give them Eternal Life. To give Eternal Life is God’s choice.
The season of the gift of men is the time when Jesus will be sent; this is the meaning of tithes and offerings. Tithe is Levi. Israel gives tithe to Levi because Levi was the tithe of Israel, so they would need to be paying back to Levi. God had to set apart Levi from the whole Israel and make them stop working so they could attend to Him. Israel shouldn't be eating all their corn and killing all their rams, forgetting Levi that is in the presence of God.
In the New Testament, Jesus has called ministers to be Levi. Those who are chosen to serve the altar should eat from the altar. We should be committed to giving our substance to ministers. We should understand the power of giving to Levi. Jesus made ministers of the gospel mini Levi even though they have not entered into the levitical state, which is the court of heaven. Our entrance into the kingdom makes us a Levite.
One duty of the Levite is that he will stop doing servile work. Jesus ordained and took that aspect/obedience/commandment for Levites not to work; He framed it around His ministers. He has the right for them to do what Levites do. This is why most ministers are called into full time ministry.
A true minister of the gospel must not be able to boast in his self-sufficiency in natural provision. At times, men need to send their substance to you. People will mock you and say that you are lazy, and you cannot tell God that you are leaving the gospel to work because of that; it is part of your suffering. Jesus ordained it so.
When Levi is given tithe, out of Levi comes offerings or priests. Those priests in the holy place are the children of Jesus that the Father sent. Jesus was sent from Eternal Life. Jesus will appear from Eternal Life, pass through everlasting life and appear in life (in the holy place). Jesus will raise the children given to Him into everlasting life and train them with everlasting life to give them Eternal Life
John 17:3
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
Jesus whom thou hast sent will be giving life until the children come to a place where they know the only true God. Jesus cannot give life without eternal glory. Jesus asked for this glory so that He can give Eternal Life to as many as have been given to him. The children will firstly be given everlasting life; the children are the first gift of the sanctuary— they are the sanctuary of the Lord.
1 Peter 1:2
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”
One needs obedience and sprinkling of the blood. This is deep. These two are what Jesus will officiate. This is the ministry of Jesus Christ. When we obey Him, He will sprinkle blood. The blood is for life, and obedience qualifies one for life. If one has not obeyed, he will not prove to God that he can hold life.
This obedience and sprinkling of the blood is the ministry of the message of the covenant. Obedience is the message and sprinkling of the blood is the making of the covenant. Those two work together
Obedience is commandment; it is what He says. We should hear His voice and not harden our hearts; that is obedience. He is calling for our obedience. When we obey, we break the covenant with sin; we disobey a covenant, and as such, we have weakened the strength of sin.
1 Corinthians 15:56
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”
Obedience is the law against the law of sin that we will do to break covenant.
Obedience is a gift while blood is the sacrifice.
Hebrews 5:1
“For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins…”
Commandment is light. Message is a gift.
1 John 1:5
“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
When we are being given the good and perfect gift, we are being given God. When we have done light as He is in the light, by walking in it, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn. 1:7). The process of cleansing is tedious; at times we do not know what we do with the devil. We apply, obey and then make sacrifices.
People get to blood in obeying Satan. In Isaiah 1:18, sin that is scarlet is not just sin as in obedience but sacrifice. Both obedience and covenant have given rise to a life. Sin the promise which is its life. Sin as crimson is sin that has become life; it has moved or metamorphosed. That is why it brings forth death. This is not committing fornication but gaining from sin. Sin cannot be removed from some people because sin is life/gain to them; they have obeyed, done sacrifices and have had life. However, God is saying that He will not force such but we should just come to reason with Him and we will be made free from sin.
Fear is in people to let go of life. The life of sin is the blood of the adversary. That in itself is the promises. Life has promise, so the blood of Jesus is a sacrifice for promise—that is the life.
The two things the High Priest gives us are gifts and sacrifice. Without sacrifice, there cannot be life. In sacrificing, covenant is made and life is realized. The fullness of blood is when life is done. Jesus, as a High Priest, waits on us until everlasting life is realized.
Hebrews 8:10
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, And write them in their hearts: And I will be to them a God, And they shall be to me a people…”
This is the promise, it is not covenant. This is the promise for the law or for the covenant. This is the promise of the covenant.
Hebrews 8:11-12
“And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. [12] For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
This is also part of the promise. Anyone who has these laws and God is his God and he, God's people, would be able to transact with knowing Him. Knowing God is life. Being merciful is not pardon; it means much would be given against their unrighteousness and they would be greatly helped. Without mercy, one cannot enjoy the season of remission completely.
Sins and iniquity is life. Some people do not know that God hates the life they are living. Hating iniquity does not equate one as being a thief for example, but hating what one regards as life. God knows when we are not relying on Him. God knows those who are His. When God no longer remembers our iniquities, we will experience the full dose of Jesus’ sent ministry; then He would begin to give them Eternal Life and teach them further knowing. He will teach them the only true God. Then we would see Jesus as Eternal Life. There is Jesus Christ and there is the Only Begotten Son of God that must be known. There is something about Him that we must know.
Blessings!